Hold My Log - 49.75 - Are You Kidding MEEEEE

[7teen]

For the first time in franchise history, the Portland Lumberjacks are playing meaningful, post-season deciding, baseball games in August. Is the pressure going to be too much to handle? If their game Friday night against Madison is any indication, then the answer is a resounding: YES!

The Lumberjacks blundered and booted their way to 5 errors that resulted in a 7-3 extra inning loss to the Wolves Friday. The errors started right out of the gate when Ken Sparks made a bad throw in the 2nd at-bat of the game. That runner scored later in the inning. Portland take the lead in the bottom of the inning.

The run was squandered right back just an inning later when Reggie Leeper's throw to third trying to nab a stealing Steven Bursey sailed high of the bag allowing Bursey to score on the throw. The game stayed tied until the 5th when a homerun put the Lumberjacks back on top 3-2.

In the 6th, the lead was gone again. Bursey singled with 1 out in the inning off Sparks. While stealing 2nd, Leeper's throw went wide of the bag at 2B and dribbled into centerfield. The second error of the game by Leeper pushed Bursey to third. With 2 outs in the inning though, it appeared Portland and Sparks would get out of the inning when Mariano Lopez hit a chopper back to Sparks on the mound. Sparks was in position to field the ball but at the last moment, took his eye off the chopper that proceeded to bound out of his glove. By the time he recovered, Lopez had beat out the throw, Bursey had scored, the game was tied, and Sparks joined Leeper with his 2nd error in the game. The team had 4 collectively.

The game stayed knotted at 4-4 through regulation and extra innings would be needed. That's where miscues reared their ugly head again. Luis Alonzo led the inning off in the 10th by hitting a solid ground ball to the sure gloved Joey O'Brien at 2B. Only this time O'Brien wasn't sure gloved. The ball skipped through his legs into rightfield for a lead-off error. The team's 5th of the contest. Bursey came up next and tried to bunt, only bunt was popped up forcing Alonzo to remain at 1B. Alonzo decided to steal 2B one pitch later forcing Portland to walk intentionally Jose Hernandez. Alonso then stole 3B putting runners at the corners. When Mariano Lopez hit a ground ball back to O'Brien, it looked like a 4-6-3 double play may end the threat. Only O'Brien tossed the ball to 1B. He instantly lowered his head.

"I though there were two outs" commented O'Brien after the game. "I don't know what I was thinking out there. Clearly, I let us down in a big way tonight."

Physical errors 5. Mental errors 1.

The toss to first allowed Alonso to score making it 4-3. Mauro Soto singled in the next AB and then Salvador Allende poured salt in the festering wound for Portland as he hit a 3-run homer to seal the game away. Three of the four batters would strike out in the bottom of the 10th to end the game.

Portland allowed 7 runs on the night, only one of which went down as an earned run.

This just a day after the team lost 1-0 to Madison when, you guessed it, an error by Jeffrey Smith allowed a run to score in the 6th inning. The run that scored was unearned. This meant Portland was 0-2 in the biggest series of the season, allowing 7 unearned runs on 6 team errors. Yep, the pressure may just be too much for the Lumberjacks!

[Dington]

Great time for the whole team to get the yips.

[7teen]

[CTBrewCrew]

We spilled the ashes of Chuck Knoblauch in the visitor’s locker room. Seems to have worked.

[Fat Nige]

Glad to see “buttons” has had such a long BBA career, I liked him when I had him at Louisville, he just needed a bit more growing